Illegal trash dumping a problem in rural areas

A beer can lies on the side of the west-bound lane of Highway 10 near Marshfield, Wednesday, March 18, 2015. Wood County deputies will give littering tickets, if they catch someone throwing out trash, Wood County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Quentin Ellis said.(Photo: Megan McCormick/News-Herald Media)Buy Photo

The arrival of spring might conjure up images of green grass and colorful tulips in most people's minds, but the departure of winter also can bring less attractive images into view in central Wisconsin.

During the past two weeks, the Wood County Dispatch Center has received multiple reports of illegal dumping of trash, according to the dispatch logs. Most of the calls come from the rural parts of Wood County, Wood County Sheriff's Department Lt. Quentin Ellis said.

"There are areas in our jurisdiction where it happens frequently," Ellis said.

County forests and roads are a frequent site people discard unwanted items, Wood County Forest Administrator Frederick Schubert said. Schubert has not been able to get to the remote locations in the forests yet this spring because of wet roads, but he has found some "pretty nasty stuff" on county land in past years.

"We had the remains from 100 chickens; someone butchered them, put them in plastic bags and left them in the county forests," Schubert said.

Schubert also has seen things people have dumped on county roads. He has found shingles and other building materials left where they can be a hazard for motorists.

In the late spring or early summer, Schubert tries to organize volunteers to help clean up debris from areas in the forest. The past two years, the ground has been too wet to get volunteers to do any trash removal, Schubert said.

"Hopefully, this spring will be drier," Schubert said.

Law enforcement officers know where the favorite dumping areas are and keep watch for people tossing trash, Ellis said. Deputies investigate all cases of illegal dumping and do everything they can to find the people responsible.

Deputies have the option of issuing a $263.50 county citation, Ellis said. If the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources issues citations, the cost can be a lot more, he said.

The smaller municipalities where most things are dumped have to pay the cost of removing the debris, Ellis said. Most of the small towns don't have money in municipal budgets to cover the expense.

Besides looking bad, the garbage can cause health and safety concerns, Schubert said. Unsuspecting hikers can get hurt stumbling over garbage and some of it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other pests.

Although it isn't considered illegal dumping, littering also can be a big problem on rural roads, Ellis said. Officers who see someone throw trash out a window will stop a vehicle and give the driver a ticket, Ellis said.

People can help stop the problem of illegal dumping, Ellis said. If they see someone discarding garbage, they should try to get a license plate number and description of the person and vehicle. They should try to call their local law enforcement agency as soon as possible, Ellis said.

People should never confront someone they see dumping garbage and only get the license number and description, if they can do it safely, Ellis said.

You can contact reporter Karen Madden at 715-423-7200, ext. 6729, or follow her on Twitter @wrtkmadden.